Reprise
by soyeahhomestuck
Summary: Jake and Dirk take a few moments to discuss matters in person before entering the game. T for language.


Jake was unable to form any words. Instead, he just spluttered, looking back and forth between Dirk's severed head in his hands and the very much alive Dream Dirk standing only a few yards away. He was frozen in his precarious position on the edge of the damaged walls that once supported his home. It was Jane who finally cut off his unintelligible mumbling.

"J-Jake! It's, um, very nice to meet you in person…" She trailed off, unable to peel her eyes away from the bloody and lifeless head in Jake's hands. "…I suppose we should be grateful to Dirk for this serendipitous meeting."

"Annd for svaing ourr livse," Roxy added, managing to get over her shock enough to speak.

"Hey, no problem. I did what had to be done." Dirk shrugged, his face unreadable. He seemed to be the only one unaffected by the outrageous circumstances.

Jake finally found words. "Dirk! I- I need to talk to you! You know you're my best bro but you have not been acting exactly brotherly if you know what I mean. I… You… I've been trying to get in touch with you for ages, and when I finally get in contact with the real guy it has to be while I'm smooching your corpse? That is not what I had in mind for this discussion that we both know needs to happen."

Jane and Roxy watched, frozen, as Dirk silently walked up to Jake, gently removed the head from his grip and set it on the edge of the broken wall. Then he took Jake's bloody hand and led him off the ruins and out the front door, pulling him down the steps until they were out of earshot of Jane and Roxy.

"Bro. You seem pretty agitated. I know that fucking heroic resurrection smooch didn't go the way you envisioned it but-"

"Yeah you think? I really don't appreciate you keeping me in the dark. Why do you always have to be such an enigma? You know that I trust you but I would like to know when you're planning some insane stunt like this."

"But now I'm here in the flesh so we can do this in person."

"Do what?"

"You said you've been wanting to talk to me. Go right ahead."

"Right. Yes. Ahem." Jake pulled at his collar a little without seeming to realize he was doing so. "It has come to my attention that you seem to have some shall we say feelings for me beyond those of strictly brotherly friendship."

"Has it now."

"Yes it has and stop sounding so fucking mysterious! God Strider you're like the master of irony and it's impossible to know if you ever mean what you say."

"The irony is, and has always been, that I mean everything I say. And I fucking love you, Jake English." Jake froze in the act of starting to speak, mouth slightly open and eyes wide. "Now what I'm wondering is, if that adventurous and downright heroic kiss wasn't what you had envisioned, then would you like a reprise? Comes with the strider quality triple guarantee to blow your mind, or your money back."

Jake was too tense to manage a laugh, but the small part of his brain that was still functioning made him reply, "Well a prudent gentleman never turns down a good deal!" He felt like he should lean in and kiss Dirk then, but he couldn't make himself move.

Luckily Dirk could, and he removed his shades, meeting Jake's gaze with his shocking orange eyes, before leaning in, tilting his head slightly, and pressing his lips gently against Jake's. The kiss wasn't rushed or forced or desperate. There was no obligation to the stability of reality being upheld. They were doing this for themselves, because they wanted to and because they were alive, and it was wonderful.

Dirk pulled away after what couldn't be long enough and Jake felt himself blush furiously. Dirk smirked a little. "Anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

"N-No I think that pretty much covers it… Um."

"Right then, what do you say we head back to the ladies and see that they haven't managed to fuck up reality somehow? We have a game to play."

"Yes indeed." Their precious moment of autonomy, of freedom from predestined battles and gambits, was over. Hand in hand, they ascended the stairs to enter the Medium with their friends as reality dictated.


End file.
